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Plant Transport and Support Systems

This document summarizes key aspects of transpiration, transport, and support in plants. It describes the roles and structures of xylem and phloem tissues. Xylem transports water and minerals as hollow tubes composed of dead cells joined end to end. Phloem transports organic nutrients as living sieve tube elements connected by sieve plates with many small holes. Cambium tissue lies between xylem and phloem and divides to form new vascular tissues. The arrangement of these tissues differs between young stems, which place them in rings for support, and young roots, which arrange them to resist pulling forces.

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Natalie Yuen
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105 views4 pages

Plant Transport and Support Systems

This document summarizes key aspects of transpiration, transport, and support in plants. It describes the roles and structures of xylem and phloem tissues. Xylem transports water and minerals as hollow tubes composed of dead cells joined end to end. Phloem transports organic nutrients as living sieve tube elements connected by sieve plates with many small holes. Cambium tissue lies between xylem and phloem and divides to form new vascular tissues. The arrangement of these tissues differs between young stems, which place them in rings for support, and young roots, which arrange them to resist pulling forces.

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Natalie Yuen
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Chap 10: Transpiration, transport and support in plants

Xylem
- Thick cell wall, big lumen
→ thick cell wall, but small lumen
= sclerenchyma fibers (for support but not transport)
- Xylem tissue (xylem vessels) is made up of many xylem cells (vessels elements)
jointed end to end
- Each vessel element began as a normal cell, but laid down waterproof woody
substances lignin in its thickened cellulose wall
→ result of cell death
→ end walls of neighboring vessels element break down completely

- Without end wall


→ form long and continuous tubes
→ for transport of water and mineral salts
◼ Reduce resistance to flow and allows a free flow of water inside
- Cells are dead without cell content (no cytoplasm and nuclei)
→ form hollow tubes
◼ Since they are non-living, the flow of water along them is a passive
process
- Are tube-like cells with thick wall containing lignin (hard d)
→ provide mechanical strength for support
◼ Gives rigidity to the cells
◼ Prevents the collapse of xylem vessels
- Xylem is placed closer to the center

Phloem
- Consists of sieve tube elements and companion cells
◼ Sieve tube elements jointed end to end to form sieve tubes
- Are tube-like living cells
→ to transport organic nutrients to growing regions or storage organs
- Phloem tissue transports sap (water and sugar) from “source” to “sink”
- Sieve tube cells contain
→ cytoplasm
→ no nuclei
→ cell wall not thickened

- Sieve plates
→ are the end walls of sieve tubes
→ have many small holes
→ allows substances to pass from cell to cell
- Companion cell
→ contains both cytoplasm and nucleus
→to keep the sieve cells alive
Between xylem and phloem: cambium
Ascending order: xylem → cambium → phloem → fibre → cortex

How are tissues distributed in young stem?


- Is a layer of cells
- Can divide repeatedly forming new vascular tissue (for stem growth)

Differences in distribution of vascular tissues


Young stem
- Arrangement: in the form of a discontinuous ring near the periphery
- → to provide mechanical support to resist the bending force caused by wing
Young root
- Arrangements:
- → to provide tensile strength against pulling force

Practical 10.8
- Cut the transverse section of leaf/ root/ stem
→ stem > root > leaf
Practical 10.9
How would you show that water is transported ling the xylem vessels, but not other
cells of the stem
- Put the stem of a leafy shoot in a dye solution for some time
- Cut across sections of the stem and the leaf
- Examine the sections under the microscope
- The cells responsible for water transport would be stained by the dye

2
How are water and minerals transported in flowering plants
- Soil water
(osmosis)
- Root epidermal cells
(osmosis)
- root cortex cells
(Transpiration pull)
- Xylem vessels in root
- Xylem vessels in stem
- Xylem vessels in leaves
Mesophyll cells
(evaporation)
- air spaces around mesophyll cells
(diffusion)
- atmosphere

Translocation (out syl)


- is the process by which organic substances are transported through phloem
by active transport

why is support important to plants?


- To stand upright on ground against the force of gravity

Herbaceous plant
- Are manly made up of thin-walled parenchyma cells with large central vacuole

What will happen when water supply is insufficient or transpiration rate is faster
than water uptake?
thin-walled cells
- Lose water
- Become flaccid
- Fail to press against one another
Stem

3
- No longer supported by turgidity
- Wilting (soft) occurs

Woody plants

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